Recent Reviews

Updated January 2018

Billy Budd (May 2018)

But the main interest for all was Phillip Addis' Billy Budd: sensual and youthful, despite his baritonal timbre he strove - as required - to convey an anxiety on stage, which the artist himself does not posess. Agile as needed to haul himself up the rigging while continuing to sing from there, bravely scaling the extremely tall ladder which leads to Billy's death by hanging, Addis takes on the entire role with an unrelentingness and deciciveness, born of the awareness to remain true to his ideals of purity and loyalty, no matter the adversity. In his magnificent scene, awaiting death, as the character reaches the apex of his internal growth, accepting his sacrifice and refusing to allow himsel to be saved by a looming act of mutiny, the performer, at the same time, succedes in revealing accents of purity and profundity which leave one amazed. The burnished, yet vibrant and agile voice hits all the notes of human emotion, but without falling into silly, banal and liveliness as an end unto itself, but rather through a path of awareness and responsibility.

A singing company that could be defined as ideal included singers of absolutely perfect vocal and stage performance, among which it is nice to mention at least the Captain Vere of Toby Spence, and the fresh, fiery presence of Billy by Phillip Addis, called to replace the last moment the indisposed Jacques Imbrailo, without however dampening the fundamental contribution of the rest of the cast, aware of participating in an exhibition that will remain in the memory of the Roman public as one of the happiest performances of the Opera House.

Phillip Addis arrived as a last-minute Billy, which turned out to be a magnificent surprise, an actor-singer who succeeds in giving the role its difficult combination of innocence and unintentional provocation.

Phillip Addis was a superb Billy Budd. There was a cockiness to him that was without guile, and his singing had that same quality. His voice was virile, free and open. - Rick Perdian, seenandheard-international.com May 18, 2018

Billy Budd, played by Phillip Addis, arrived on “The Indomitable,” full of smiles and enthusiasm, and bounced his way through the evening, naively engaging with who and whatever came his way. Setbacks never disturbed him for long, such as his fight with Squeak or wrongly thinking he was about to be promoted. There was always a large smile on his face. He was a paragon of naïve goodness, which of course, ultimately leads to his execution. Addis brought vocal energy and a vivacious swagger to the part, his subtle phrasing always closely aligned to the meaning of the text. When chained in the brig awaiting his execution he is understandably suffering and sang the hauntingly understated aria “Billy in the Darbies,” in which he contemplates his death. It was a sensitive rendition, full of pathos, yet without a trace of self-pity. He quickly recovers his positive attitude, but is now wiser, death has sharpened his faculties and realizes that he can redeem Vere, to whom he remains loyal, who is lost on the “infinite sea.” At his execution he climbs up the ladder, and disappears out of sight. Christ-like he ascends into heaven, his final words, “Starry Vere, God bless you!” After the brutality and destruction wrought through Vere’s moral failure, his redemption through Billy’s blessing, brings a ray of hope into what is otherwise a bleak work.- Alan Neilson, operawire.com May 16, 2018

Phillip Addis is Billy; he is a young agile baritone who has already interpreted the role many times (among others, in Genoa); with good looks and a great capacity for acting he is perfect for the part.

Successfully portraying the title character as the cynosure his literary creator intended him to be is not an easy assignment, but Canadian baritone Phillip Addis (replacing an indisposed Jacques Imbrailo on relatively short notice) delivered a compelling performance based on his savvy ability to appear beguiling while remaining guileless—a nearly impossible combination to achieve.

Addis’s Billy is lithe, virile and athletic; his allure stems more from an inner goodness than from an outward innocence. The role fits Addis’s slender baritone perfectly. Billy’s quieter moments found the singer at his best: the lilting lullaby of “Look! Through the port comes the moonshine astray!” movingly sung. Yet when required, he also rose to the challenge of Billy’s more dramatic apostrophes to the “Old Right’s o’ Man”.- Kevin Fullerton, parterre.com May21, 2018

Phillip Addis is a young, handsome Billy Budd (he climbs with a feline burst up and down the ropes), with a warm baritone voice and the intense gaze: the long scene of his final night gave one goosebumps, as did the caress on Captain Vere's head, just before the point where he descends into the ship's jails and is engulfied in a darkness broken only by a moonbeam. Budd's naivety and his indignation at the false accusation are credible and left the theater breathlessfor a long time.

Billy Budd is played by Phillip Addis, who has the perfect physique for the role and performs divinely (he often climbs, demonstrating excellent athletic skills). Beginning with the character's ballad ("Billy Budd! King of the birds!") And ending in the poignant 'scene of the prison', Addis is always in the character, exuding candid adolescence, candid abandonment to the world, despite all the evil which fills it: however, the unusual choice made by Britten to describe vocally a little more than adolescent with the baritone voice (albeit stretching into a quasi-baritenorial range, sometimes), gives the character almost a statuary security, which describes the boy's ethos all in one piece.

Don Giovanni (April 2018)

Baritone Phillip Addis sang the title role, and he moved between depicting a man capable of murder and rape, and slick seducer well enough. His interactions with his servant, Leporello (Erik Anstine), were a good mix of indulgence and physical threat. And in his final confrontation with the ghost of the Commendatore (Kirk Eichelberger), Addis generated a fearless defiance to create a powerful scene of male indignation and danger before he was dispatched to the furnace.- Bill Rankin, operacanada.ca April 18, 2018

As the titular Giovanni, baritone Phillip Addis brings an attractive swagger and appeal to the role. Addis excelled especially at the challenging recitative, particularly in the comedic moments with his trusty servant. At times, the orchestra drowned Addis' velvety baritone somewhat, but his performance of the boisterous aria "Fin ch'han dal vino", in which he announces a lavish, hedonistic party, was a tour de force.- Oliver Munar, schmopera.com April 19, 2018

Eugene Onegin (February 2018)

As the titular Onegin, baritone Phillip Addis offers a convincing, polished performance. Addis carries himself with poise and swagger that underscore his character's coldness. But in the third act, Addis unleashes a full range of his acting and vocal ability when his character finally recognizes his love for Tatyana. His vibrant voice is pierced with desperation as he pleads with Tatyana, who refuses to act on her feelings for him.- Oliver Munar, schmopera.com February 5, 2018

Carmina Burana (May 2017)

I hope the TSO asks Phillip Addis back after such an intelligently sung
debut. I watched him marshal his resources through the “Estuans
interia”, a series of (I think) high Gs, and a final powerful A. He’s a theatrical singer who happens to possess a lovely sound and flawless intonation.- barczablog.com June 25, 2017

Phillip Addis navigates the requirements of the piece with ease, shifting between his registers with extreme flexibility. Orff is almost cruel to his baritone in the "Dies, nox et omnia" aria - demanding falsetto in one bar and then forcing the baritone to dip down to the base of his range in the next. Though cruel, Addis makes it sound lovely.- Broadway World, Jun. 22, 2017

Baritone Phillip Addis ... was brilliant displaying an abundance of power as well as comedic flair.- Toronto Concert Reviews, June 22nd 2017

Die Zauberflöte (January 2017)

Addis gave a winning performance as the Bird-catcher, singing with robust tone, and received one of the biggest ovations in the final curtain.- Musical Toronto, January 30, 2017

Silent Night (November 2016)

Addis brings a heart-wrenching sense of yearning to this aria as the character wonders about his wife and unborn child. He begins to question the war and sings of much needed sleep; his troops share the sentiment.- Encore Michigan, November 14, 2016

Roméo et Juliette (September 2016)

Other notable turns include Phillip Addis as the rowdy and vivacious Mercutio—Addis displays a nimble and expressive baritone in “Mab, la reine des mensonges” and an athletic command of the stage, making his fatal dual one of the evening’s real highlights (choreographed by Doug Scholz-Carlson). - Twin Cities Arts Reader, September 26, 2016

La Bohème (May 2016)

Vocally, Canadian baritone Phillip Addis was the most impressive among the male roles for the power of his voice, the beauty of his timbre and his convincing stage performance.Sur le plan vocal, c’est le baryton canadien Philip Addis qui impressionne le plus dans les rôles masculins par sa puissance vocale, la beauté de son timbre et la crédibilité de son jeu scénique.
- rreverb.com, May 20, 2016

Barber of Seville (Edmonton, 2014)

The star of the show is without a doubt Phillip Addis, whose theatrical expressions, exaggerated movements, and rich baritone brought the character of Figaro to life. In spite of the character’s inflated sense of self, Addis’ Figaro is instantly loveable and a pleasure to watch.
- The Wanderer Online, October 30, 2014

Britten's War Requiem (2013 & 2015)

Baritone Phillip Addis communicated with intelligence and superb diction. He riveted whenever he took the stage, but particularly in the work’s final moments, as he described 'the pity of war."
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Cincinnati Enquirer, 12 May 2013

Addis sang with a beautifully inflected voice that was as rich and dark as chocolate.
- Nashville Scene, 1 June 2015